


The promise

by Voidgremlin



Series: Cuckoos and bird calls are fucking annoying. [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Hey, also, hand holding, they are trying to communicate here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24083092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidgremlin/pseuds/Voidgremlin
Summary: At some point, after many adventures, a prison break and many near deaths scenario. The Doctor though of stopping, for one moment, to rest. Maybe gather herself, maybe seek calm from everything.Short and quick Idea i had to write for a friend
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Series: Cuckoos and bird calls are fucking annoying. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767565
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

At some point, after many adventures, a prison break and many near deaths scenario. The Doctor though of stopping, for one moment, to rest. Maybe gather herself, maybe seek calm from everything.

It might have been Yaz' line of questioning, the many of “what happened ?”, “How was she doing ?”, “Are you ok ?” That led the Doctor to maybe consider, maybe, think about it (it being the many breakdowns, the many destruction witnessed, the many betrayals). In the calm of the Australian wilderness, in the exact coordinates of the horizon's watcher supposed emplacement, the TARDIS settled down with her famous greeting sound.

To her surprise, the house was there, the chair was here. To her surprise, the Master was here too, on the chair like he was as O, eyes closed, neck painfully bent, sleeping. Probably.

She stayed silent, at the door of the TARDIS pondering, in the darkest of night if she should leave. Why did she chose this place to begin with ?

The TARDIS telepathically provided her a nudging and an answer. Guess she did thought she wouldn’t be bothered here. No one would find her here, in a place of previous hurt. Or of previous kindness, she did loved the possibility of friendship. The idea of someone to count on without the running around. That’s what this place represented and there's nothing more symbolic of this turmoil of feeling than seeing the Master, the betrayer and the friend, sleeping and calm.

Even for one instant.

She finally decided to still do her plan for introspection, despite the sleeping form. Walked to the porch as silently as possible, letting him snoring in an impossible and possibly uncomfortable position, before sitting down just behind the chair. Out of sight, protected from accusation, if any.

Avoiding confrontation, that was the plan and she is succeeding so far.

Not thinking of the many mistakes like her short-slightness, her anger toward some life forms. Toward some decisions made by humans when ultimately they were too young to know, to understand, their history erased so many times that the grow this species should have earned, disappeared. Like a fluke. In the waves of time with no witness to tell the sacrifice that so many did.

Like her lives that worked so hard to please someone who didn't cared for them. Erased, Lost to everyone even herself. Her many deaths, her many works ultimately didn't mattered. It just died. When Tectun disappeared, when the Division left the web of Time. Used to be discarded, that was her lives. No record of how many times their hands where stained by corruption, disruption.

Did they ... Mhm probably. They didn't remembered, they weren't remembered. With hope maybe the people they wronged didn't remembered either. She hoped.

For her previous lives' sake. She hoped that they won't hold it against her.

The Master stirred in his sleep, that made her stop her trail of thoughts.

So much for not thinking about it. Was she crying ? Maybe a little, her cheeks were indeed damp.

The Master cranked his neck probably sore from the weird sleep he thoughtfully practiced. His hands were shaking, let a sigh before massaging it. The Doctor held her breath, not sure how to play the next move. Should she hide ? Should she play it cool ?

He rose from the chair, stretching. Under the moonlight, he looked way more tired than one should be. Eyes haggard, he looked around a little lost, before spotting the TARDIS. It made him stop moving for a while maybe even breathing. 

Well hiding is not an option anymore she thought before he turned on his heels facing her.

She didn't said a thing, never did he. He was looking for something in her eyes and as she held his stare he quickly started to look at the door of his TARDIS and the stairs that she occupied. Sizing the obstacle she represented before getting to the protection of the time ship walls. Avoiding her.

Some issues doesn't leave overnight. She wondered if it was shame, before letting this strand of thinking go. Sliding herself to the side of the stairs, letting him space to walk home. 

She felt a nudge of appreciation, maybe too tired to establish full contact, as he walked beside her, he didn't bothered to change since the last time she saw him. He opened the door of the TARDIS and as she heard it she got up, to leave the premise if he wanted to travel away.

He didn’t bring the chair inside though, nor did he closed the door behind.

Open, like an invitation.  
Or a backstabbing opportunity.

She doesn’t know anymore and she is pretty sure he doesn’t either. So she went inside the TARDIS.

The TARDIS, still look like O’s home, for some reason. Maybe it was comfortable for him, surrounded by the many papers, files and notebooks. Bit of a hoarder, of knowledge. Most of matrix inside his head as well as the cyberium, the Doctor was sure that if he wanted, the Master could destroy the great Intelligence. Or being a target of it. She wasn’t sure if she liked entertaining the idea, she wasn’t ready to accept this idea yet, despite her anger, her needs for revenge towards him.

Gallifrey was always meant to burn. It was corruption unto more corruption and despite the hope she held toward it. Old habits die hard unless there are people willing to fight against it and she doubt, that after an infinity of war, anyone wasn’t ready nor willing to fight for better.

Like she was now, they wanted calm and quiet. Unable to change.

The Master didn’t wait for her, opening a door to the left wall and continuing to an impossibly long corridor. She couldn’t help to follow. She could have stayed there, safe place but no she followed him in this endless corridor.

They were communicating.

No telepathy, no talk in any languages known to any living things. Just a game of trust. Door opening, letting people inside, and she as yet to do her move. She wasn’t sure she could trust him. Or at least trust herself to not hurt him.

He lead her to a library, a circular room with bookcase as walls, so tall it was blinding, a stark contrast to the pilot’s first room, it was neatly organized. In the middle of the room, a couch, bright yellow, she barely retain a chuckle seeing him dropping himself unto it a book in his hand and putting a blanket on his lap.

He doesn’t even try to respond, focusing on his hand for a few seconds, still shaking. He dropped it on his lap, making a fist before starting to read his famous book.

The Doctor stayed still a moment, squinting, hoping to understand what he was wanting from her, there were always a lingering plan, a trap, a need, a want. He wouldn’t do anything if he wasn’t sure to win something or at least try.

But no clues, nothing was making her itchy, nothing made her mind work several miles per minutes. It was quiet, wasn’t what she wanted ?

Defeated, she just sat down next to him. Looking at him, he didn’t seem bothered by her presence, he was still reading. She wanted to know what it meant, if the quietness will keep going, if she will stop wanting to fight. Opening her mouth, she was silenced right away by the Master shushing her, still reading his book.

It was actually a notebook, a diary that he was reading back, trying to, she finally noticed. The Master staying way too long on the same page, eyes not moving one bit. His hand firmly held as a fist onto his lap. It was still shaking.

Was he afraid ? She was too. And it was her turn in the trust game.

So she put her hand above his, held it as firmly as she could. She hoped, hoped just a little that the universe won’t hold it against him. That she won’t hold it against him. A little weakness, a little madness. 

She might need to think about it, later on. But know she only wanted to rest. She laid her head back, imitating the position that she saw her friend did before. Letting her brains wander to the kingdom of sleep. She doesn’t think it took too long before he rested his head against her shoulder.

The whole talking thing will have to wait a little.


	2. Hey how many stars you see ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Call your local doctor to help.

The room was quiet for a few hours, in low dim light of the library. They were no page being turned, no shuffling of the clothes, no movement, no voice. Just the hum of the TARDIS that carried the doctor through dreams with a lullaby.

The Doctor was dreaming of the winds in her ears, the quietness and the cliff ahead. She could see the purple sky extending ahead shining a billions stars, a billions place to be. But none of it were home. The light from where she came from was too far away to be even seen, if it is still exist somewhere in the world. The light from where she was raised was dimmed, no viable structure was living on its soil. Not that she wanted to go back to it, but this planet held her house at some point, her home, her family. Would she really hate this place that tore so many things she held dear apart ? Won’t it be a disgrace to the work she and the people she loved put to make it happen ? Even for a few seconds of happiness ? She should love this place, she should protect it. But there’s no one left to protect from. There’s no one love anymore, there’s no one to share memory, joy and laughter with … Not anymore.

It is gone and she looks at the stars with nostalgy. How can someone with so many lives can make something new with someone new or even… Someone old ? How could she ? She listened to the hum hoping for someone to give her an answer but the hum make itself louder, pressing, howling, she looked around in horror looking for who was screaming, she ran toward the sound, reaching the edge of the cliff. Before weirdly she remembered that she was dreaming. None of it was real and she suddenly woke up.

She shot her head straight gasping silently for air, feeling the pressure on her shoulder quickly relieved itself. The Master got up quickly, fighting to get his hand free, she let him go and he started pacing in the room with labored breathing. She blinked slowly gathering thoughts, being awake was one thing, knowing what to do was another. She was still on unknown territory with a well-known enemy. The well-known part was the only reassuring part of the whole situation. Founders help her… Hold on was she a founder now ? She frown but shot a glance to the Master who at some point sat his body in a corner of the room next to a shelf. Holding his head in his hands, taking deep breathes through the nose. She wants to ask, why was he still shaking ? Why did he woke up again in a sharp inhale when obviously he needed more rest. Why is he panicking and the whole room seemed to swell. Furthering the distance between them. It won’t be long before the Master would be standing meters away instead of the closeness they shared few seconds ago.

He looks up to her, realizing she is still present in the space. In between two breaths it looked like he tried to pronounce a few words, explanation, but only she heard a sob in his throat. Heartbreaking really. He looked away, standing up with a sort of recklessness to it, as if he was throwing his body up, hoping it would still stand. He didn’t cared today, he didn’t cared of much things. He didn’t even cared of the hate and distraught he felt toward her, allowing her inside. He didn’t cared of his inadequacy in the grand schemes of things. Today he didn’t wanted to think about it. To care about it. Because caring would mean thinking about consequences, thinking about the crushing universe with no solace. To think that no matter how much illusion he would deal himself with there is still a truth that he knows and that no one, not even himself would let it go.

He left in throwing himself bodily against the door. Walking down the corridor and the Doctor waited a few seconds, biting her cheeks wondering if she should gather herself and just leave him to be. Alone, in this infinite castle. Never ending and intricate. Leaving to her own TARDIS, where she could put the whole pondering for later, maybe she will find a place in the universe that doesn’t require any responsibility from her, any fighting. But of course, she only stand up to follow him. She is still sleepy and watching only his back stumbling to the kitchen that hidden itself behind a weirdly terrifying stone statue, that looked way too much of a weeping angel. Upon closer inspection she felt the warm below the stone, it was alive and humming. She noted this observation to the slightly worrying list of things that is happening to her and that she needed to do something about it at some point. But not now, now the Master was angrily drinking water, if anyone was able to angrily drink it would be him. He hold himself to counter next to him, a dark glance to her.

“The fuck are you doing here ?”

She is taken aback, she didn’t expected so much aggressivity after the hours spent together in quiet and peace. Guess he just held bad ? Not being apathic as she was drowned in all her sorrow. He was none of those things, feeling way too much and he only honed back those things for her sake. As much as he loved confrontation, he let her have a few hours of quiet. She should be a little thankful.

If she ever gave a shit about his peculiar predicament.

She stayed silent, dragging a chair to sit on it, playing with the mug on the coffee table. She didn’t had any answer for that question, after all she is still considering leaving. But the steady hum of the TARDIS made her consider another option. To listen ? Maybe.

He looks at her like she betrayed the sanctimony of the space, his breathing is even now, the panic from earlier faded somewhat. He look away toward the fridge defeated by the lack of answer.

“Want something to eat ?” He asks his voice hoarse.

She say no with her head, still staring at him. She shouldn’t it will make him angry, but she cared very little about his anger, she cared about his sanity more.

“What !?” he snapped “What are you looking at ?” The rest was indeed nonexistent, dark bags under his eyes were darker than when she saw him earlier. He couldn’t look still, his hands were moving and not stopping. The Doctor motioned to the chair before her. He threw himself into it, upset and crossing his arms. Taunting her to talk first.

She bids her time helped by the humming which filled the silence. She decided to be little shit to break the nervous energy that filled the room.

“What the fuck are you doing here ? You look like a mess !” She said with a smirk.

He look aback, arching an eyebrow. “I do not look like a mess ! I look awesome thank you very much !”

“Oh really have you seen yourself ? What did you do the last time I saw you ?”

He looked like he was about to retort to the first part but only put a hand in his hard, to fix it. As if it would help at this point she thought. He laid back looking to the ceiling.

“I ran away, got caught on a nasty planet, had to buy my way out with the cyberium and some of my memories. Fought to get the memories back. Succeeded. Now I’m trying to get some rest.”

“Sounds like you had a busy day.”

“Busy month.”

“Oh.” She frowned, she did lived much more things than him but a month ? At first she wasn’t sure what made her stop about it, after all he was able to survive stranded more than one time for far longer than the Doctor could. She guessed it was the memory part that disturbed her. Fighting to get memory back… She doesn’t know if she would have ?

Maybe ? Is the repeated abuse of having her memory ripped away that made her gave up the mere idea of the memories being hers, that she shouldn’t fight for them because it is a defeat waiting to happen ? Who knows.

Terrible thoughts for later, filed under: the irreparable damage of the past.

“Looks like you are not succeeding on the rest part ?” She instead argued.

He still stubbornly looked to the ceiling. “No. But I will. It just takes time.”

“That’s why you chose the outback ?”

“No one was bothering me there, which makes me ask the question.” He leans toward her, elbows on the coffee table. “What the fuck are you doing here ?”

She stayed silent, she didn’t wanted to talk about the foolish hope that brought her here. So hung up on the past and her disillusion. She tapped the table four times.

“TARDIS brought me there ?”

“Was it a question ?” He asks with a smile.

“Nooooo” She dragged the sounds. It was obvious she was lying and he knew. But it was fun. It was for laughs. It really didn’t mattered why she was here according to his smile, what was important was she was here.

“Good because your shoulder is a really good pillow, I will recommend it on Yelp.” He says pulling out a phone from his pants, searching the apps.

“On what ? Wh-What’s Yelp ?” She asks reaching to snatch his phone away, he didn’t even bothered to looking up to her and just pushed his chair out of the way.

“Damn Doctor, I do hate the fact I know more about 21st century earth than you.” He sighs typing down furiously. The Doctor stand up quickly grabbing the phone from his hands despite his weak shout of protest.

“Let me read that. ‘The doctor’ shoulder despite being bony and most of the time uncovered, is still a good place to rest when you have exhausted all possibilities. 6/10 would recommend but only if you have no other solutions.’” She pauses before turning her head to him. “Only 6 ?! How DARE !”

“I have to take into account the reality that I really am tired and that if I could I would have slept on a rock. I find myself very kind with this notation. They should call me the mercyter, merster ? Merciful Master ?” He started to sounds confused to his own sentence.

“Or they should call you your Yelp handle, O. Lee Karl… I’m not sure I get the joke ?”

“Of course you don’t.” He says standing up as well taking the phone away from her hands gently. “But I will be honest I was very proud at the time of the joke but I am not sure I get it either.”

She hummed in response. Standing next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

“Your brains are definitely fried.”

He leans a little on her. “Yes they are. Can’t help getting nightmares since I got my full mind back.”

She listens but she isn’t sure, she isn’t sure if she would have took those memories back. So she asks

“Was it worth it ? Getting back your memories ?”

“Uh… Well I wouldn’t be me if I don’t have them. So yes, as terrible and awful me is. It is worth having my memories.”

“Aren’t they painful ?” She asks stubbornly watching the wall ahead.

“Yes.”

“What do you mean then ? Was it really worth it ?”

“It is still mine. I am owed.” He sighs, head looking down. “If anything else is not. I still I got that.” He chuckles, an empty one, before whispering “I got this one, it’s mine.”

The Doctor waited before putting a hand on his shoulder. “Yes it’s yours.”

They stayed here a little while, leaning on each other. She didn’t understood most of his feeling on the matter, it was like looking in the mirror and not quite understanding the figure it reflected.

The Master would say it was his, The Doctor would answer it never was hers.

The Master would burn all the bridges, The Doctor would try to mend them with time.

They would never be in sync, never agreeing to anything because ultimately and weirdly despite all the shared history, they had a wildly different past.

Endless roaming for one, Broken promises for the other.

It made her laugh which made the Master look at her with worry. They were determined by their past way before they could make their own decisions. Before they could be themselves they were already condemned to this unstable life and endless heartbreak.

“I think I need to sleep Doctor. So…” He slowly let himself lie down on the kitchen floor. “I got to try again.” He smiles looking at her from below, finding it fitting from their newfound status. She sees that in his eyes and is having none of it. She drop down on her knees next to his head, her hands on her laps, looking at him with, she find out later, a hint of tenderness.

“Want me to guard your sleep ?”

His eyes squint, “I doubt you want to guard me, it is a pain in the ass, so I heard.”

“From me. Yet here I am proposing.”

He keeps squinting wondering if it was a joke.

“So you chill with me guarding you or not ?” The Doctor asks.

He grunts. “Yeah. Do your magic.”

She took his head, putting it on her now crossed legs. Fingers resting on his temple. Channeling a link. His face relaxed.

_Contact._

_Contact._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hHey i thought of a follow up ! Enjoy !


End file.
